Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor, and pulse 2 times or until well-blended. Pour bean mixture into a large bowl; stir in bell pepper and remaining ingredients. Yield 3 1/2 cups (serving size: 1 tbsp.

DIRECTIONS:Preheat griddle to large shallow frying pan on medium heat on top of the stove. Add the olive oil to the hot pan. Place the chicken strips, chili sauce and jalapeno pepper in the pan and saute until cooked through, approx. 3-5 minutes. Remove and reserve. Wipe the pan clean. Place the chicken mixture on one half of each of the 4 flour tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and fold over to form a half circle. Again, preheat pan on medium. Oil the cooking surface with one tsp. Canola oil. Place a filled tortilla on the cooking surface. Cook until light brown. Turn. Repeat with the other three tortillas. Slice each tortilla into three wedges and serve with salsa and black beans.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

We are still on Spring Break so we have been eating out a lot during lunch and then eating light meals or leftovers for dinner. Today, my son request a Japanese favorite of ours and a comfort food...Oyako Donburi. It is a Japanese bowl dish of chicken and egg...mother and child...which I believe is the meaning of the name.

I use the recipe from an Asian cookbook we have. The closest one I found is at the following site:

Sunday, March 25, 2007

We usually eat chicken on Sunday. Today, we decided on barbecue chicken a la my brother Alex. My first thought was to make a potato or macaroni salad to go with it, but I changed my mind after seeing that I had almonds.

Recipe for BBQ Chicken:
Cut up a whole chicken and place everything but the backs and gizzards, hearts and liver in a oven proof casserole dish. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover with a cup of the prepared barbecue sauce of your choosing and bake in a 350 degree oven until chicken is tender.

Note: When I want to make this dish extra nutritious, I stir in approximately 1 cup cooked lentils to the uncooked rice. A little extra water may be required but be careful, you don't want the finished dish to be soggy.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

To neutralize burnt food odors in the house, mix 1/2 cup whole cloves with 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone.

Soften butter. Add milk and flavoring. Mix well. Sift in sugar. Mix well. Add a few drops of food coloring to make pretty pastel shades. Knead with hands. Mold or roll into snake shapes and snip with a scissor or butter knife. Let dry out on waxed paper. Store in tin.

When Joey and her daughters were in grammar school, Esther and I would take turns visiting each other's home. Whoever, was the hostess would also provide a new treat of some kind. This is one of the treats Esther introduced us too.

Note: Esther wrote on the recipe she gave me that this recipe originally came from Cindy T. Mahalo to you both.

Cream shortening and sugar.Add eggs and vanillaSift flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the garbage.Place a teaspoonful or a tablespoon on ungreased cookie sheet.Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

Let's see....last night we ate the frozen spinach and mozzarella raviolis from Costco so no menu there. Today, we will be having Take-out Chinese so no menu here either. I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite recipes that I have collected.

Today's recipe comes from one of our Catholic homeschooling moms here in Hawaii. I remember her bringing a batch to share at one of our meetings. It was so ono (delicious)! She was even kind enough to share the recipe. So mahalo to April!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

..."I dug up an eighty year Jewish grandmother from Boston, known on the Internet as Bubbe, who had been schlepped out to California by her twenty-something grandson, Avrom Honig, a Web 2.0 entrepreneur. Bubbe (she wouldn't give me her real name) is the star of an Internet video cooking show called "Feed Me Bubbe". Bubbe is evidence of Chris Anderson's long tail. Get used to her. She's the old/new pin-up for the democratized media revolution."

Yesterday dinner was very good. Joey did a excellent job in preparing dinner for us. He decided on the one dish chicken and rice with the Cream of Mushroom Soup, salad with homemade ranch dressing that I had prepared previously, strawberries with condensed milk and marinated canned green beans.

Tonight, I will be making meatloaf. I had lots of small portions of ground beef in the freezer which I wanted to use up.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Joey is! I was reading somewhere that children should be encouraged to cook a meal for their family. Well, Joey is a teen so he can have a little more freedom in preparing our dinner. My husband suggested Joey just buys us Big Macs at McDonald's. Mom overruled that suggestion. Joey suggested Totino's Pizza Rolls for dinner. That was also overruled by me.

I gave him a suggestion of either meat loaf or the recipe that is on the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom can with chicken. He liked that idea so that is what we are having tonight.

In a dutch oven, heat the pot until hot and add approximately 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Immediately add the chuck roast and brown well on both sides over medium high heat.When both sides are browned nicely, add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add the tomato sauce, herbs salt and pepper and lower heat to medium low or low. Cover and let simmer for approximately 2 to 3 hours or until meat is very tender.

Serve over hot pasta like spaghetti or linguine. Make sure to slice the beef before serving.

Reduce heat to medium. Over boiling water with rubber spatula., press batter through colander or Spaetzle maker. Stir water gently so Spaetzle will not stick together. Boil 5 minutes or until tender but firm (al dente); drain.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

This year I cooked the corned beef and cabbage in a crockpot. One of my brothers told me that is how he makes it. It sounded like a good idea since I wanted to get an early start cooking it and also had to leave to go to weekly Confession. It turned out very well! I think I will cook it like that again next year.

In our family we usually add carrots and potatoes to the cooking corned beef and cabbage. It is more like a boiled dinner which we really love. After slicing the corned beef, we serve it with yellow mustard as a condiment.

I used to make Irish Soda Bread. My mom gave me a really good recipe for it. However, my family would only eat a little of it while it was hot and the rest usually went to waste. This year I made corn bread with extra sugar.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Interestingly enough, in Hawaii, we have to buy dandelion leaves in the supermarket. In NJ, they plagued us as a weed.

Dandelion Salad½ lb. dandelion leaves1 clove garlic4 T olive oil2 T red wine vinegar Salt and pepper to tasteWash leaves and save only the most tender ones. Cut Coarsely in bowl, being sure they have been thoroughly dried. The garlic should be cut in pieces and tossed with the salad ant tossed OUT. Pour over the oil and vinegar and toss enough to thoroughly coat the leaves. Serve immediately.

The lush wild dandelion four in a shady spot before it comes into bloom are the best to use. Oregon Herb Society

PREPARATION:Combine all ingredients, except tuna, in a small bowl. Preheat grill for medium high heat. Baste tuna steaks well with sauce, place on grill and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Turn steaks, baste again, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve

Tonight, I am not making anything new. Plus we have lots of leftovers. Therefore, I thought I would share some meatless recipes that can be used tomorrow. These were shared by Layla.

Herbed Macaroni Parmesan

Makes 4 servings

"This very simple dish is one of my favorite "emergency" dinners that I makewhen time is especially limited. Use short cuts or strands of other Italianpastas you might have on hand. When time permits, I expand on the simplerecipe and add other vegetables, such as strips of grilled portobellomushrooms".

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; add the macaroni. When the water returns to a boil, stir occasionally to separate the macaroni. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes or according to package instructions. When the macaroni is done, drain well; return to the pot. Add the butter; stir until it melts. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Tonight, I will be making Chinese Fried Rice using Lup Chong instead of fried bacon or Spam. Lup Chong is a dried sweet Chinese sausage usually steamed over cooking rice and served along with the rice. At least that is how my mom and my Chinese grandfather ate it.

Menu:Chinese Lup Chong Fried RiceEgg Drop Soup

Recipe:Fried Rice Recipe:HERENote: You can use sliced green onions instead of the peas.

Egg Drop Soup Recipe: HERENote: You can add one can of creamed-style corn and chopped chicken gizzards for a variation.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Today, I made "old clothes" or as my son refers to it "dirty clothes". It is a traditional Cuban dish made with shredded meat, hence the term old clothes.

I make mine a little different but the following recipe looks pretty traditional and I think you will enjoy it. Last night, I boiled potatoes, peeled them and sliced them in half. I served the ropa vieja over the potatoes. Traditionally, it is served with white rice.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

My friend Layla has been sharing lots of yummy recipes that she has collected. One was a chocolate cookie recipe using arare or kakimochi (crispy rice crackers)Click HERE for the Wikipedia's definition.

Another tasty way to eat these little delectables is mixed with buttered popcorn and FURIKAKE. In the stores, the mix for the popcorn is called Hurricane popcorn. To see what I mean click HERE

"A few months ago, reader Ken Ikeda asked for arare cookies. I sent him one I found in our files, but it didn't contain shoyu, and Ken was pretty sure the recipe called for a splash of soy sauce. Then came a letter from Myrna C. Ishimoto of 'Aiea, who sent in her friend Jan Sakamoto's recipe for cookies she calls Shawnie's Favorite (Shawnie is Jan's nephew).

Maybe they'll become Ken's favorite, too."

SHAWNIE'S FAVORITE

1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 cup milk chocolate chips

3 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 3/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1 1/2 cups crushed kakimochi (arare)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in vanilla and shoyu. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Mix in flour and baking soda; blend well. Add cereal and kakimochi. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. With a spatula or your hands, flatten balls slightly. Bake until golden brown — about 15 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool on rack. Store in airtight container.

You may have noticed that I have been cooking a lot of asparagus recently. Well, right now the price is right. They must be in season somewhere, probably California. When they are not on sale, asparagus runs about $5.00 a lb. Right now, they are going for approximately $1.50 a lb to $2.00 a lb. depending on the store.

We got tired of steamed asparagus, cream of asparagus soup, etc. I searched the internet and came up with this ONE We couldn't believe how simple yet so tasty this dish was! I will definitely be making more of this dish.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Since I took the day off from cooking yesterday, except to make Flan for my family, I am cooking tonight. The other day, Safeway had a 1/2 price off stewing beef cubes and of course, I took advantage of it. I think I bought approximately 2 lbs. of it at a fraction of the original cost.

Recipe for Beef Stew:I usually make the one in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. However, this recipe found HERE looks fairly close to the one I use.

I don't know about anywhere else but in my family home growing up in New Jersey and here in Hawaii, we eat beef stew with rice as a side dish.

Recipe for Broccoli with Garlic Vinaigrette

3 garlic cloves, finely minced1/4 tsp salt or to taste.Mix both well in a small bowlAdd 1/8 to 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar (very healthy)Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and blend well. Use as a dip for the steamed broccoli, artichoke hearts, or almost any other vegetable.

Friday, March 9, 2007

BE CHOOSY - Buy only from reputable dealers with clean facilities. Ask if their seafood is certified by the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference.

USE YOUR NOSE - Don't accept seafood with a fishy or ammonia-like smell.

USE YOUR EYES - Look for fish with shiny moist skin and clear unsunken eyes. The flesh should spring back after it is depressed.

HEED ADVISORIES - If you fish, check with your local public health department or fish and wildlife commission to see if any advisories affect your spots.

KEEP FISH COLD - If kept cold enough, lean fish will hold in your refrigerator for two to three days. Oilier fish will keep for up to two days. Test your refrigerator to make sure that it is 32 degrees F. or store fish on ice.

KEEP FISH CLEAN - Handle raw seafood separately from cooked foods or foods that will undergo no further heating. Thoroughly wash any utensils that come into contact with raw seafood.

Combine the lemon juice and brown sugar in a ceramic or glass dish large enough for the fish. Mix until the sugar dissolves.

Turn the fish in this marinade to coat. Marinate for approximately 1 hour. Grill over hot coals or broil under a pre-heated broiler 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serves 6.

Note on white bread:Last night I made homemade white bread. I reduced the flour by 1/4 and added 1/4 wheat bran to the mixture before processing it. It was heartier than the usual white bread and very tasty.

No guessing as to why St. Martha would be a patron saint of cooks and homemakers. Remember, Mary chose the best part and it wa

Jesus entered a villagewhere a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,“Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?Tell her to help me.”The Lord said to her in reply,“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.There is need of only one thing.Mary has chosen the better partand it will not be taken from her.”

It's too bad too, because this show was very entertaining. The chef/host is a very happy person. But what I liked best about the program is that regular folks around the island would share their recipes.

One recipe I tried and really liked was Ed's Chinese Style Fishcake Stuffed Peppers. For those of you not familiar with fish cake, it is pulvarized fresh fish. If you don't live in Hawaii and can't get fish cake in your local supermarket, you may have to make it yourself. Hope you have a Cuisinart. If you like Chinese flavors, like Dau See (Fermented salted black beans) I highly recommend this recipe.

There are a few other recipes that you can make on a Friday during Lent. So be sure to check out their list. There are also recipes calling for meat or poultry. Quite a variety in fact.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

The last time I used regular salt is a blur to me. Since moving to Hawaii over 13 years ago, I have cooked with Hawaiian Sea Salt. Actually, this is the brand I use.

It's hard to describe but the grains are actually quite large so you can't put them in a salt shaker. I suppose you can use a grinder. I prefer to put the salt in a covered container...small in size and keep that by the stove. I measure out with my fingers.

My family also has a separate bag blessed by our friend Fr. Duffy. We keep a steady supply of Blessed Salt in the house. When I run out of my regular salt supply, I do use the Blessed Salt for cooking. In fact, it is recommended. But I save our Blessed Salt for special reasons.

The other day we had an Italian dinner and we are having an Italian dinner tonight too. I am not too concerned because the tomato sauce contains Lycopene and is the only way my husband will eat tomatoes.

In a large saucepan, brown the turkey meat. Since the turkey contains virtually no fat, there is no need to drain. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and the garlic and onions. Saute until translucent. Add a few leaves of basil and oregano (you can substitute dried herbs). Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for approximately an hour on low heat until the sauce is thick and bubbly.

In the meantime, cook the lasagna noodles aldente, drain and let cool.

In a large baking dish, add approximately an ladle full of sauce. Place a layer of the lasagna noodles. Add another ladle of sauce and place tablespoons of the cottage/ricotta cheese, sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Add another layer of the noodles and repeat until you finish up remaining sauce. Add the remaining sauce on top and bake in a heated 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until thoroughly heated through and cheese is melted.

Cut the roast into steak size portions approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick. Heat a cast iron skillet. Add the olive oil and steaks. Fry at medium high heat until nicely browned or approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Turn over and fry until that side is browned also. We like ours medium rare. Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove to a cutting board and slice steaks into thin slices across the grain. Set aside. Heat a stove top grill flat side up and lightly spray with Pam.

For each taquito, place a portion of sliced steak, cheese and green onions in the center and fold over carefully to make a taquito. Continue until all the taquitos are done. Place the taquitos on the hot grill and brown each side until lightly brown. You may have to place a heavy cast iron skillet on top to flatten.

Monday, March 5, 2007

The recipes for the marinara sauce and Eggplant Parmesan at the following link for the Victory Garden looks pretty similar to what I made. If I weren't so tired right now, I would type out my recipes for you.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Traditionally, our family eats chicken on Sundays. Today I thought I would prepare marinated baked chicken. Something we haven't had in a while. I am going to make roasted garlic potatoes because we have had rice and mashed potatoes very often this week. You can serve either one of these as a starch.

Place the cut up chicken in a large bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Heat oven at 350 degrees. Place the chicken skin side down on a broiler pan. Bake chicken for approximately 1/2 hour or until the chicken is browned. Turn over and bake for another 1/2 hour or until skin is nicely brown and crispy.

Recipe for Roasted Garlic Potatoes:3 large baking potatoes or 6 small new potatoes, well washed. You can leave peel on if you prefer or peel..your preference
2 garlic cloves, minced finely
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into big chunks and place in a Pyrex baking dish. Add the garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and bake along with chicken until potatoes are cooked thoroughly and browned.